Hi, my name's Gee, I work in IT, and I love my gadgets! :)
I tend to like stuff which looks cool ...
Hi, my name's Gee, I work in IT, and I love my gadgets! :)
I tend to like stuff which looks cool - but which also perform the functions I need them to (i.e. if something looks great, but doesn't work like I need it to, then it's not for me!)
Member since:28.12.2007
Reviews:10
*** I should note that my Netgear router has v2 on the bottom of it - version 2 in case that makes a difference. The model number is the same though. ***
There are a number of machines (laptops mostly) which knock around in my rented flat, and a couple of years ago, I was looking for a decent ADSL router which would meet the bill.
This isn't the first one I bought - but I soon got rid of the other one and replaced it with this one, and have been happy about it ever since.
This comes well-packaged up, and is fairly simple to setup and install. Simply follow the instructions and plug it into the phone socket in your wall. The router comes with a DSL filter (nice - saves you buying one) to plug into the wall. You may need to have
your broadband user id and password handy for setting this up to connect to the Internet later.
Install the software on your PC and link it up either wirelessly, or plug an ethernet cable from the router to your PC (not provided). You will then need to follow the instructions to setup the router by connecting to it from your PC. There are 4 hardwired ports in the back, so you connect up to 4 PCs/laptops via ethernet cables - or you can connect up to it via WiFi - I'm not sure how many it will support that way, but it's definitely more than 4 (and as far as I know, no limit is indicated).
The router itself is a stylish piece of kit, and uses 802.11b and 802.11g, which were the latest standards a couple of years ago. the 802.11b was (and I guess still is) being used everywhere, and the 802.11g standard was a faster standard, but wasn't available in most places. I bought a NetGear WiFi USB adapter for my older laptop to connect up wirelessly, and it works great. The newer laptops I have also link up great with their inbuilt WiFi connectivity.
The Netgear DG834G also allows you to setup wireless security on it (great if you don't want your next door neighbour freeloading on your broadband connection). This can be tricky to set up at first - mainly because you need to also set up the password on every PC connecting wirelessly to the router - once you've done one, the rest should be easy.
One of the best things about it is that incorporates the modem, router, and a firewall all in one box. If you need to connect to work from home - this router is fantastic, because it also implements VPN pass-through, which means you can authenticate to your workplace (if you have a company laptop and connect up from home normally). Admittedly, this probably doesn't affect a large number of readers, if this affects you though, a number of routers don't have this capability, which was a big big plus for me - I could connect to work without having to hog the entire broadband line (and stop the other PCs using the internet).
This has generally been faultless, but I remember that during a thunderstorm a year or so ago, whenever lightning struck, the internet connection would be lost for a few seconds. I'm not sure if this was because it affected the internet broadband line, or if it affected the power supply in the flat - but I suppose the lights didn't turn off.
Note that the range on this piece of kit is rather limited. If you're inside a flat, that is fine - it works from all the rooms within the flat. If you have a house, with more than two floors (ground, upstairs), if you put it on the ground floor, it might not reach the top floor.
I tend to have one machine wired to this, and two machines connected wirelessly, and this works well.
The router takes about 15 seconds to connect up to the internet when you turn it on for the first time. It then stays connected to the internet - and in the event of problems, it will try to reconnect to the internet periodically.
The PCs can a few seconds to connect up to the router wirelessly (or via the ethernet cables), but once connected, they stay connected (unless you are connecting wirelessly, and put your machine into standby - after waking your machine up again, it will take a few seconds to try and connect again).
I should also note that the instruction manual could be better - when setting up some of the more advanced features (e.g. firewall rules), the advice in the manual is slim. I suppose you would need to understand technically what a firewall is for, and what kind of rules to set on the firewall, but it would be useful to maybe provide some of those details online at least. (I suppose you could do a search on the Internet for this information).
Also be aware that there is likely to be a newer version of this available from Netgear.
All-in-all though, another great piece of kit, thoroughly recommended (especially at under £50! - advertised on Ciao).
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Jan 1st, 2008
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